Italian Cardinal Tonini dies at 99

July 29, 2013

Cardinal Ersilio Tonini, the retired Archbishop of Ravenna, Italy, died on July 28.

At the age of 99, Cardinal Tonini had been the eldest member of the College of Cardinals. That distinction now falls to Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, the former president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, who will celebrate his 97th birthday on August 1.

Pope Francis paid tribute to the deceased Italian prelate, describing him as a “zealous and generous pastor,… committed and amiable.”

There are now 202 living members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 112 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote in a papal election.

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